BlueIndy will have 500 cars, 200 stations and 1,000 charging spots eventually in the future.

If BlueIndy succeeds, Bollore already intends to establish a similar project in Los Angeles.

To use the Bluecars, which are white, consumers need to register to get an access card and choose one of the offers. Range of the cars is around 120 miles (30 kWh Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP) batteries).

The least expensive is a 1-year membership. IndyStar notes that it would cost just $4 to drive from Downtown to the airport in 20-minutes, while a taxi cost $30 to $35.

BlueIndy Electric Car Sharing membership

BlueIndy Electric Car Sharing

Important is that if you already have an electric car and would like to use BlueIndy charging spots, you need to pay $20 a year ( + $2 per hour) for L2 AC charging.

“Marion County residents and visitors can now make short point-to-point trips throughout Indianapolis without spending a penny on gas. BlueIndy today put into service the first 50 of an eventual 500 electric vehicles that provide convenient, cleaner transportation with the swipe of a membership card.

This is the first-of-its-kind electric car sharing service in the U.S. by the Bolloré Group of France, which already operates car sharing services in several other cities, including the world’s largest EV sharing service: Autolib’, in Paris.”

“As of today, 125 parking spaces are equipped with charge points. Reserved parking spots mean no need to look for parking. As BlueIndy builds out across the city, customers will be able to take advantage of up to 1,000 parking spaces in 200 BlueIndy stations outfitted with charging infrastructure and easy-to-use customer kiosks. With a membership card in hand, drivers will simply swipe their card across the BlueIndy car windshield. The car will automatically unlock and welcome the driver back to BlueIndy with their own favorite radio stations stored from previous trips. The standard BlueIndy membership costs $9.99 per month. Members pay four dollars for the first 20 minutes they use the car, and 20 cents for each minute thereafter. Membership can be obtained via BlueIndy’s website (www.blue-indy.com) or at BlueIndy enrollment kiosks. A BlueIndy smartphone app is also available. Memberships may be purchased for a day, a week, a month, or a year.”

BlueIndy Electric Car Sharing

“BlueIndy expects to provide up to 100 full-time jobs through the end of 2016, as skilled union trades workers install electrical and telecom infrastructure in dozens of neighborhoods and commercial centers. An additional 100 full-time employees will work for BlueIndy in time as ambassadors, dispatchers, and service technicians.

BlueIndy’s car sharing service is a perfect complement to the city’s long-term public transit strategy, which includes expansion of IndyGo and bicycle lanes. BlueIndy will also help attract professional talent to the city’s employer base, and help central Indiana move more quickly away from fossil fuels as an energy source for public transportation.”

Cédric Bolloré, Vice President for Development said:

“Indianapolis is the perfect home for our first venture into the American market. Indy has a vibrant downtown, thriving neighborhoods, and a population that demands innovation and cleaner alternatives to car ownership, and transit options.”

“Based on our experience in Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyon, we expect the average car sharing transaction to be about 20 minutes. Indianapolis will benefit from technology and processes proven in Paris for the last four years. Now Indy will be the model for North America.”

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard commented:

“Indianapolis is home to a growing tech sector, arts and cultural attractions, first rate medical and educational institutions, and thriving neighborhoods. I am delighted to welcome BlueIndy as a clean, affordable transit option to help connect visitors and residents with all that Indy has to offer.”

We gathered most of the videos from the launch and some from 1-2 weeks before the launch, which raised the topic of financing the project and public parking:

Leave a Reply

Thanks Mark, for the thorough primer on how this works and what is involved to get it going.. been looking everywhere for this!

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3 years ago

Rich

Watching that map grow will be like watching Tesla Supercharger map on a micro scale. I love it.

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3 years ago

manbitesfilm

I love the idea of EV car sharing services, but I’m curious to see how these will succeed given the location-specific pick-up and drop-off (for charging). Let’s hope it does work!

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3 years ago

Francis L

Im a car2go user, and the use of ICE smart has a huge advantage : you can park it anywhere, you are not force into stations that might be not at a convenient location or full.

In the case of car sharing, I feel that EVs are not the right solution right now.

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3 years ago

Dave R

In San Diego, the Smart cars are EVs.

And there is no requirement to end your drive at a charging station. San Diego could definitely use more charging stations, though. The problem now is that in car2go areas, charging spots are often clogged with car2go vehicles which prevent other EVs from charging.

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3 years ago

Robert

It seems that for some, but not all needs, EV Car Sharing might be ideal, while for others, not so much – particularly while it is starting out. Once it makes it to a more ubiquitus access, it can do a lot more than it will just now.

Also, Car Sharing, if it had a selection of EV’s to choose from, like: LEAF, i3, iMiEV, Volt, Focus EV, Soul EV, other EV’s and PHEV’s, etc., could be a good source for ‘Extended Test Drives’, and car dealers could work with them to help people check out the cars and become familiar with them!